Fire-escape.



N0.vs73,30|. Patented Apr. so, lam. N. sTEmFELu & c. .1. MEYER.

F I R E E S C A P E (Appneatimi med oct. s, 1900.;

3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

' INVENTORS:

WITNESSES:

la/ws,

BVY WM ATTORNEYS.

:Tins co., Pnorouwo., wAsnmuroN n c No. 673,30I. Patented Apr. 30, |90l. N. STEINFELD & C. J. MEYER.

F l R E E S C A P E.

(Application led Oct. 8. 1900.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(nu Modal.) v

INVENTORS LIV/ WITNESSES: ,Qg /c'w Z ATTORNEYS.

No. 673,3ol. Patented Ap'r. so, |901. N. sTElNFELu @L c. MEYER. FmE Esc/EPE.

(No Mode.) (Application filed Oct. 8, 1900.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

moRNEYs- 1N; Nonms PETERS co., PHDTOMTHO., wAsmnsYou. D. c,

UNTnD STATES PATENT FFICE.

NATHAN STEINFELD AND CHARLES J. MEYER, OF NEWARK, NEV JERSEY.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 673,301, dated April 30, 1901.

Application filed October 8,

make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The objects of this invention are to facilitate escape from a burning building and to enable the occupants of such building to escape with greater safety; to provide a device which will be convenient and eeotual and one which will be of only moderate cost of construction; to enable the return movements of the carriage to be automatic and of great rapidity, so that afterV the said carriage has delivered one load it will quickly and automatically return to its elevated position to receive a second load; to provide a device, furthermore, which will not become clogged when standing exposed to the weather or be easily obstructed by ice, 85o. andto secure other advantages and results, some of which may be hereinafter referred to in connection with the description of the working parts.

The invention consists in the improved tireescape and in the arrangements and combinations of parts of the same, all substantially as will be hereinafter set forth, and finally embraced in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several views, Figure 1 is afront elevation of a portion of a fire-escape of my improved construction. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the upper part of the l same. Fig. 3 is a plan showing more particularly the supporting arm or bracket. Fig. 4 is a section on line y2, Fig. 2, and showing the carriage or carin plan. Fig. 5 is a detail section taken at line y, Fig. 2, showing the construction of a brake for regulating the speed of the carriage; and Fig. 5a is a section on line y of Fig. 5. Fig. 6 is a detail side elevation showing more particularly the upper part 1900l semina. 32,374. (Nomaden) of a slideway for a counterbalance-Weight'; and Fig. 7 is a horizontal section of the same, taken through line a; of Fig. 8, Fig. S being a vertical section taken on line no' of Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a detailed side elevation showing a steadying-arm or keeper for holding the carriage in proper relation to its slideway. Fig. 10 is a section of the saine, taken on line x2 of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a rear elevation of the slideway for the counterbalance-weight, showing particularly the upper and lower ends thereof, the said slideway being broken away to show more clearly the construction of the counterbalance-weight and its relation to said slideway. Fig. 12 isa sectional detail takenat line z' of Fig. 11. Fig. 13 is a sectional detail taken at line z2 of Fig. 16. Fig. 14 is a sectional detail taken at line 53 of Fig. 11. Fig. l5 is a section taken through line Z4 of Fig. ll, and Fig. 16 is a section taken through line z5 of Fig. 11.

In said drawings, a indicates a suitable building, to which my improved fire-escape is attached. b is a box-like construction preferably secured to the outside of said building and extending from an elevated point thereon downward to or near to the ground. Said box-like construction b provides interiorly a slideway for a counterbalance-weight c of peculiar construction, and on the outside said box-like structure provides a slideway d for a keeper-arm e, Figs. 1, 2, 4, 9, and 10, said keeper-arm being movably attached to the under side of the carriagefand held in sliding relation to the slideway, so that the said carriage while moving vertically upward or downward will be held at a given distance from the said slideway and be prevented from swaying from or toward the building. The said arm is preferably adjustably secured to the carriage to enable the said carriage to be held at a greater or less distance from the building, and we thus are enabled to hold a carriage so that it will be prevented from striking against copings, sills, window-caps, or the like which may be formed upon the face of the building.

We prefer to have the slideway for the keeper-arm e of the'carriage as shown in the drawings, where the said slideway is shaped in resemblance to a longitudinally-slotted tube having ears or means for fastening to IOO the box, the interior of the tube being undercut, so as tov form at opposite sides of the the slot opposite lips or keepers for holding enlarged extremity of the arm Within said slideway, the slideway thus being more perfectly protected against the accumulation of ice,by means of Which the vertical movements of the escape might possibly become obstructed.

The counterbalance-weight c is suspended within the box b by means of a rope or cable g, the carriagef also being suspended at the other end portion of said rope. Intermediate of said Weight and carriage the rope is doubled and arranged over pulleys in the following manner: At the top of the box b is a bracket b', projecting out over the carriage, and one extremity, as g', of the rope g is attached to said bracket at a point within the box b or close to the building a. From thence the rope extends downward within the box to a pulley h, fixed or fastened to the top of the counterbalance-weight c, and then upward again to a pulley c' on the top of the said bracket b'. From this pulley 1I the rope extends outwardly from the building to a point in vertical line with the vertical axis of the said carri-age, where it passes over another pulleyj and extends downward through the top of the carriage to a pulley 7c, attached to the under side of said carriage-top. This last pulley is of peculiar construction and serves as a brakewheel, as will be hereinafter more fully described. From this brake-pulley the rope again extends vertically upward through the top of the carriage and through the bracket and passes over another pulley, Z, on the top of the bracket and downward through the bracket again to the carriage, the end of said rope being fastened to the said carriage by means of knotting,as at g2,or in a-ny other suitable manner. By this arrangement of therrope weare enabled to secure a rotary'move ment to the pulley laat'the top of the carriage and by obstructing or retarding this movement by vmeansrof a brake-shoe m orothers'uitable frictional device to prevent too rapid downward movements of the carriage, and should the shoe be pressedagainst the wheel with suffreient force the downward movement of the carriagev under the'wei'ght of the occupant will be entirely stopped. rlhe brake-shoe m com-prises, preferably, a band n of flexible lea-ther having a lining of metal or oth-er material suitable to produce africtionalcontact, the said flexible piece being fastened at one end, as at n', to the top of the carriage, and thence passi'ng down is turned against the under side of the pulley k and carried up"- ward and made fastv to a brake-rope o, which extends over a-pulley 0 and downward again.

to a position at which it may easily be grasped by the hand4 to operate the brake. By pulling upon said brake-rope othe frictional plate is pressed hard agaiust'the periphery of thepulley 7c, so that the rotary movement of said pulley is retarded or prevented, as may be desired, and the carriage on which the occu-l pant stands is Wholly under his control.

To secure a proper frictional surface on the brake-pulley k, we prefer to provide the said pulley on opposite sides of the rope-groove :with broad frictional surfaces, by means of which a slight draft upon the brake-rope will secu re the desired retardation of movement.

While we have shown one arrangement of brake, it is obvious that we may employ any other equivalent means for braking the downward movement of the carriage, and where the descent is a comparatively short one we 'may dispense With the brake entirely,

although in ordinary constructions we prefer to employ the brake and we prefer the construct-ion detailed.

The counterbalafnceeweight c', suspend-ed from the rope g within the box b, comprises, preferably, a metal frame-like structure of sufficient weight to counterbalance or overbalan'ce the weight ofthe carriage f, so that when said carriage is relieved: of` its load the Weight c willv cause said carriage to ascend to its initial o-r normal position. At the opposite sides o'f said weight the'sam'e is provided with movable piec'e's p, seated in grooves or sockets p', formed in the sides-'of theI said weight and permitted' a limited lateralmovement in said sockets. On the ou'ter sides of said movable pieces p the same are provided with roller-bearings for rolls q, which engage the walls 0f the box-like casing b, and on the inner sides thesaid pieces have sockets r', loosely receiving pins r on the body of the weight and upon whichl the pieces slide. Springs s are arranged on@ said' pins between the body of the Weightand the movable piece, said* springs being adapted to throw the said' pieces outward"v with suitable forceA against the sidewalls of the box-like casing Z2. Saidjside Walls of the casing converge upward' or incline slightly toward each other, and thus as the carriage drops toward its lowest lifmit and the Weight ascend's the movablepiecesp arepres'sedy together and the springs s are contracted or brought under increased tension, tending to retard the u pward' movement of the'weight and the downward-'movement of the carriage. The arrival of the carriage at its`lowest limit of movement is also cushioned by interpos-ing between the upper endl ofthe weight c and thetop of the box b a compression-plate t, sliding'at iftsends in grooves t in the sides ot' theV box. Said compression-plate has at each end'a guide-rod u, sli-ding throughan aperture in the end of the box, and` around each guide-rod is a spiral'cushioningJ-spring u', tending to throw the plate toward the weight. Furthermore, the compression-platehas a central conical or wedge-shaped plfunger i; extending rearward and 'lying "betweenfriction-blocks fu', held against itsoppositesides by springs Q12. Thus to compress the plate the conical plunger v must be forced in between the frictional blocks lv', which move toward the front and IOI) IIO

.through apertures w.

rear, respectively, of the box or casing b The lateral springs v2 resist this, producing a friction which added to the resistance of the springs w' greatly retards and cushions the upward movement of the weight, and consequently the downward movement of the carriage. A similar cushioning device 2 is provided at the lower limit of movement of the Weight, so that the weight will not throw the carriage with too severe a jar or impact against the bearing or bracket b' at the top of the box.

To hold the weight c at either its lower or upper limit of movement, we have provided at both the upper and lower ends of the box-like casing b a pawl 3, which enters automatically into" engagement with ratchetteeth formed on the weight c. Said pawls are normally held in engagement with the ratchetteeth by springs 4:, and one pawl is adapted to engage the weight as it rises to the top, while the other serves to retain the weight in its lowest position `when it is desired that the carriage shall not be operated by said weight. Said pawls may be disengaged from the weight either by hand or any other suitable means. These pawls are employed in order to secure increased safety against accident or premature operation of the carriage; but such pawls may sometimes be dispensed with and the frictional brake depended on to hold the carriage in its elevated position while receiving its load or at its lowest position while discharging the passengers.

The carriage f preferably comprises, besides the main platform f ,a bridge portion f2,adapt ed to reach out to the usual tire-escape balconies 5 atthe various windows,as shown in Fig. l. A hand-rail f3 may be provided for greater safety.

In operating the device the person escaping from the building steps from the top landing to the carriage, held in its elevated position by the pawl. The brake-rope o is then grasped and the pawl thrown from engagement with the rack and the cariage allowed to lower under the added weight of the load, the downward movement being controlled by the brake n. Arriving at the lower-end of movement, which is cushioned, as before described, the persons within the carriage step therefrom, andthe latter immediately rises to its elevated position automatically unless the weight is held by the upper pawl. Released from said pawl, the overbalancingweight causes the carriage to rise to its initial position ready to receive a second load. Because of the weight the carriage rises with great speed,so that little time is lost in return movements.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new isl. In a fire-escape, the combination of a vertical box-like casing adapted to be fixed to the outer wall of a building and providing parallel ways, a carriage and a weight sliding in said ways, pulleys at the top of the casing and a pulley at the inner side of the top of the carriage, a rope passing around said pulleys, and a brake adapted to be applied to the pulley in the carriage, substantially as set forth.

2. In a lire-escape, the combination of a Vertical slideway adapted to be fastened to the outer wall of a building, a weight traveling in said slide way, aforwardly-projecting bracket at the top of said slideway and pulleys thereon, a carriage in front of the slideway and a pulley on said carriage, a rope connecting the weight and carriage and passing around said pulleys on the bracket and carriage, and means for braking said pulley on the carriage, substantially as set forth. Y

3. In a fire-escape, the combination with a carriage, a verticalslideway of varying width, a weight sliding in said slideway and having laterallymovable side pieces, and springs forcing said pieces against the walls of the slideway, compression-plates at the ends of the slideway each having a wedge-shaped plunger, and spring-controlled friction-blocks pressing against said plunger, a pulley or pulleys at the top of the slideway, and a rope passing over said pulley or pulleys and supporting, at its opposite end portions, the carriage and weight respectively, substantially as set forth.

4. In a fire-escape, the combination of vertical ways, a weight and a carriage traveling in said ways, a pulley or pulleys above said ways, a pulley on the weight and a pulley on the carriage, a rope fastened at one end at the top of the ways and extending downward around the pulleyon the Weight, and up again and over a pulley or pulleys above the ways then downward around the pulley on thecarriage and upward again around a pulley at the top of the ways and being at its extremity made fast to the carriage, and means for braking the pulley on the carriage, substantially as set forth.

5. In a fire-escape, the combination of a carriage f, having a pulley on the top of its interior chamber, a suspending-rope having a downward loop inclosing said pulley, and a brake for said pulley, the pulley presenting wide friction-surfaces at each side of its ropegroove and the said brake comprising a flexible strip fixed at one end and extending part way around the pulley and being connected to draft means, and said means for applying draft, substantially as set forth.

6. In a iire-escape, the combination of a vertically-moving carriage, a weight connected to said carriage and adapted to rise as the carriage descends and vice versa, a casing or box providing a slideway for said weight, said weight having at its sides laterally-movable pieces p, and having springs forcing said pieces outward, and the slideway for said weight decreasing in width from the bottom upward, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination with the carriage f, the counterbalancing-weight c, and a casing b, providing a slideway for said weight, and hav- IOO IIO

ing an outer groove d, receiving a guiding,-v a-rm e, on the carriage, of a Compression-plate disposed transversely of the said slideway near its end and having` rearwardly-extending nods u, Working in apertures in the end rope or cable having. a loop passing beneath I5 said pulley and sustaining a portion of the Weight; of the car, a eounterbalance-Weight, and means for braking the said pulley on the Carriage or ear, substantially as set forth.

In tesbimonyrthat We claim the foregoing zo We have hereunto set',l our'` hands this 12th day of September, 1900.

NATHAN STE'INFELD. CHARLES J. MEYER.

Witnesses:

CHARLES H. PELL, C. B. PITNEY. 

